Embolectomy devices such as inflatable catheters and clot pullers are used in a variety of applications to remove blood clots or other foreign bodies from a blood vessel such as an artery or vein. The formation of thrombus within the vessel may partially block or totally occlude the flow of blood through the vessel, preventing the flow of blood downstream to vital locations within the body. Such thrombolytic events may also be exacerbated by atherosclerosis, a vascular disease that causes the vessels to become tortuous and narrowed. The tortuousness or narrowness of the vessel may, in certain circumstances, lead to the formation of atherosclerotic plaque, which can cause further complications in the body.
In embolectomy procedures for removing such blood clots from the body, a delivery catheter or sheath is typically inserted percutaneously into the body (e.g. via the femoral, jugular or antecubital veins) and advanced to a target site within the body containing the clot. To ascertain the precise location of the blood clot within the body, radiopaque die may be injected into the body permitting the occluded blood vessel to be radiographically visualized with the aid of a fluoroscope. A Fogarty catheter or other suitable delivery device may be used to transport the embolectomy device in a collapsed position distal the site of the clot. The embolectomy device is then withdrawn from within the delivery device, causing the device to expand within the vessel. The embolectomy device may then be urged in the proximal direction to remove the clot from the vessel wall. A wire basket, coil, membrane or other collector element can be used to capture the clot as it is dislodged from the vessel wall. Once entrained within the collector element, the embolectomy device and captured blood clot are then loaded into a retrieval device and withdrawn from the patient's body.
In certain applications, the removal of the foreign object within the vessel may cause emboli to migrate upstream and enter other branching passageways within the body. To prevent migration of emboli upstream, it may be necessary to temporarily impede or obstruct the flow of blood proximal the therapeutic site while retrieving the embolectomy device.